Scientists Find Particle Consistent With Higgs Boson

[wade72]

Very cool video

[notime]

I really don't understand the significance of this "discovery". Okie, they empirically confirmed the theory that existed for 48 years. Okie, the theory "helps" to explain why the matter has mass. But since it existed for 48 years without giving life to any useful applications or spin-offs what is the importance of knowing now that it's correct? Or is this "discovery" all about proving that billions of dollars spend on hadron collider and fat salaries of the scientists were not all in vain? What they discovered is so small, so short lived, so useless and so predictable that the whole show over this achievement smells of self-justification propaganda rather than a real breakthrough. Maybe in future the science would be able to make some use of better understanding how the nitty-gritty mechanism of sub-atomic universe work but at the moment we are very very far from it. I think the money would have been much better spend chasing solutions to energy problems of the world like fusion, improved solar and better batteries. A new discovery or a breakthrough in the above fields would bring an immediate improvement to civilization.

[Credo]

That's probably what a very distant relative said when someone discovered the wheel.

[chuckd]

That's probably what a very distant relative said when someone discovered the wheel.

The utilization of the wheel was probably pretty obvious from the outset. This doesn't seem to be the case here

Did Al Gore have anything to do with finding this new particle?

[Credo]

The utilization of the wheel probably wasn't very obvious from the beginning. We hadn't used it before, thus a waste of energy on someone's part.

One day far in the future, it may be obvious that it's use was pretty obvious.

George Bush is more likely to take credit, since it is referred to as the God particle.

[canuckamuck]

Currently the significance appears to be more metaphysical rather than applicational. When they look in that microscope will they find God winking back?

[harrry]

The utilization of the wheel probably wasn't very obvious from the beginning. We hadn't used it before, thus a waste of energy on someone's part.

One day far in the future, it may be obvious that it's use was pretty obvious.

George Bush is more likely to take credit, since it is referred to as the God particle.

Look what came out of that invention..all the energy that is wasted in driving huge suvs in the cities to pick up little children who could walk. No wheel....no energy crisis and no need for all the fitness centres.

Edited July 8, 2012 by harrry

[atyclb]

The discovery in reality was made at Thailand Ministry of Innovation however their boss was too humble to admit it thus they accused scientists in Switzerland of it.

[Xangsamhua]

I'm a physics tragic, so I don't know what use it will be, but I'm glad they've verified this particle's existence and function. Maybe the money could have been better spent on something else, but it's too late to worry about that now. Anything that tells us a bit more about the origins and causes of the cosmos tells us a bit more about ourselves and validates or invalidates our hypotheses.

Scientists say it will enable them to continue using the current model in their quest to understand things like dark matter. I don't know how that helps anyone, but if there's dark matter out there I want to know, or want someone to know, what it is.

If there's a "god-particle" in the cosmos there's a god-particle in each of us. But I'll argue that it doesn't just contribute physical mass; it contributes consciousness and form. As the 3rd century Mahayana Buddhist philosophers proposed, this form arises from "emptiness", hence the aphorism "form is emptiness; emptiness is form".

An earlier poster said that the discovery of the Higgs Boson tells us that we can get something from nothing. I'm not sure how, unless H-B itself has no mass, but contributes mass nevertheless, but the Indians - Buddhist and Hindu - have been arguing for this for 5000 years. The difference is that "emptiness" in their view is not nothing, and that's the mystery.

[BwindiBoy]

Does this mean they can use Higgs Boson particles to fix Swampy's runways?

[chuckd]

Does this mean they can use Higgs Boson particles to fix Swampy's runways?

It's going to take more than a wheelbarrow full of them.

[DogNo1]

It's interesting that the announcement concerning the Higgs-Boson particle was made just as I am reading the final pages of Lawrence M. Krauss' book A Universe from Nothing. The spinoffs from this discovery might be significant but are presently unimagineable. Before the 1930's who could imagine that striking two pieces of radioactive material together would result in such a huge explosion? For those who are interested, here's a youtube link to Krauss' explanation of his theories concerning matter and the universe. www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ImvlS8PLIo

[harrry]

Does this mean they can use Higgs Boson particles to fix Swampy's runways?

It's going to take more than a wheelbarrow full of them.

I hope they do not add too many of them.....some of the planes taking off are too heavy anyway.

[jackr]

Political effects? - Remember too that this is a discovery made in Switzerland - a Swiss/French project

Actually, it may be in Switzerland but the LHC is a European effort of which the UK is a major backer and provider of expertise, and lets not forget Peter Higgs is British.

The UK has the world's largest fusion reactor, which is in England, but that is also backed by the Euros (or our money returning to us) but would be unwise to claim it as an all-British project.

Edited July 9, 2012 by jackr

[jackr]

It sounds a bit like discovering an artifact of something that was very significant at the 1st instant of the big bang, but has no longer existed since then. - except in a - which recreated it for the tiniest of moments.

Actually it's everywhere, all the time (like Dark Matter), but is extremely tough to see/detect, and indeed without it, there'd be no clumping together of matter, no stars or planets, no us. That it was revealed in a particle accelerator was the only way it can be shown to us at this time.

However, it's all an illusion. To see what's actually pulling the 'strings', one has to look to the Planck scale at string level (but that's not going to happen in our time). They are likely the fundamental thing, everything else is a result of their vibrations, including gravity and perceived matter, of which, incidentally, their ain't any. Everything you see and touch is energy and lots of space in between. Neutron stars and black holes find it easier crushing space out of atoms and atoms themselves when there's no actually matter to compress.

Edited July 9, 2012 by jackr

[EiranCikguLow]

Before the 1930's who could imagine that striking two pieces of radioactive material together would result in such a huge explosion?

It does?... really?

or are u referring to nuclear fission?

[Payboy]

I've been discovering dark matter on my almost large hardon collider for years. Painful to say the least and treatment is rather expensive.

[maidu]

It sounds a bit like discovering an artifact of something that was very significant at the 1st instant of the big bang, but has no longer existed since then. - except in a - which recreated it for the tiniest of moments.

Actually it's everywhere, all the time (like Dark Matter), but is extremely tough to see/detect, and indeed without it, there'd be no clumping together of matter, no stars or planets, no us. That it was revealed in a particle accelerator was the only way it can be shown to us at this time.

However, it's all an illusion. To see what's actually pulling the 'strings', one has to look to the Planck scale at string level (but that's not going to happen in our time). They are likely the fundamental thing, everything else is a result of their vibrations, including gravity and perceived matter, of which, incidentally, their ain't any. Everything you see and touch is energy and lots of space in between. Neutron stars and black holes find it easier crushing space out of atoms and atoms themselves when there's no actually matter to compress.

Yes, it's pervasive. I should have used the word 'isolated' in my stab at a description of what it is.

Anyone who enjoys cutting-edge physics, related to cosmology, will appreciate Lawrence Krauss' lecture on this video (nearly 1 hour). In one segment, he proposes that even the most vaccuum-appearing parts of space are teeming with sub-atomic things (my words, not his).

[GentlemanJim]

I believe, or rather understand, that there is more dark matter in the universe than what we understand as 'normal' matter.

In one segment, he proposes that even the most vaccuum-appearing parts of space are teeming with sub-atomic things (my words, not his).

That would seem to be a popular concept, in that everything is connected down at the string level and quantum foam. Whilst we are discussing such inspirational things on a Monday morning have a play with the following awesome little resource. It transpires that there is a greater size difference from a human to the smallest proposed particle than there is from a human to the edges of the known universe. the universe being calculated as 10 power 27 meters and the smallest particle being 10 minus 35 meters. Anyway have a play and enjoy!

http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/scale_of_the_universe_2012

Edited July 9, 2012 by GentlemanJim

[canuckamuck]

One thing we can derive from this is a definition of the edges of the physical universe, which only exists as far as the HB field extends. No HB field, no existence.

Edited July 9, 2012 by canuckamuck

[Skywalker69]

A Higgs boson walks into a Catholic church.

"We don't allow Higgs bosons in here!" shouts the priest.

"But without me, how can you have mass?" asks the particle.

[Xangsamhua]

I believe, or rather understand, that there is more dark matter in the universe than what we understand as 'normal' matter.

In one segment, he proposes that even the most vaccuum-appearing parts of space are teeming with sub-atomic things (my words, not his).

That would seem to be a popular concept, in that everything is connected down at the string level and quantum foam. Whilst we are discussing such inspirational things on a Monday morning have a play with the following awesome little resource. It transpires that there is a greater size difference from a human to the smallest proposed particle than there is from a human to the edges of the known universe. the universe being calculated as 10 power 27 meters and the smallest particle being 10 minus 35 meters. Anyway have a play and enjoy!

http://www.onemorele...e_universe_2012

Terrific link. Thank you.

[DogNo1]

EiranCikguLow:

Yes, it results in nuclear fission. The Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima was composed of two pieces of Uranium totaling only 855 grams and one was shot toward the other using black gunpowder. When they combined and reached critical mass, the size of the resultant explosion was beyond the understanding of ordinary people at the time except, of course, people who had worked on the Manhattan Project. My point is that scientific discoveries that may seem obscure can have unimagined consequences.

[DogNo1]

By the way, Krauss was one of the early proponents of string theory but according to his book he has now rejected it. The existence of the Higgs-Boson particle is part of the proof necessary to explain the "flat" universe and why it is expanding faster and faster. In two trillion years time, no stars except for those in our own galaxy will be visible because they will be too far away. Of course, I don't plan on sticking around to notice it

Edited July 9, 2012 by DogNo1

[maidu]

rude post by me. Deleted.

Edited July 9, 2012 by maidu

[Scott]

It's scary to think what uses the military might find for this.

[maidu]

EiranCikguLow:

Yes, it results in nuclear fission. The Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima was composed of two pieces of Uranium totaling only 855 grams and one was shot toward the other using black gunpowder. When they combined and reached critical mass, the size of the resultant explosion was beyond the understanding of ordinary people at the time except, of course, people who had worked on the Manhattan Project. My point is that scientific discoveries that may seem obscure can have unimagined consequences.

Way back in the Flower Power daze (late 60's), when I resided in Wash D.C. - a local anti-establishment 'Free Press' rag came out with a diagram of how to build an H Bomb. It was amazing. I can picture it plain as day. It takes a fission bomb to ignite an H bomb, and the fission bomb is ignited by plastic (C4?) explosive. The cut-away shape of the H bomb is sharp cone shape. I could re-draw the diagram, but that might get me a bullet shot through my window (into my forehead) next week from some secret service agent, so I'll refrain.

[Scott]

Way back in the Flower Power daze (late 60's), when I resided in Wash D.C. - a local anti-establishment 'Free Press' rag came out with a diagram of how to build an H Bomb. It was amazing. I can picture it plain as day. It takes a fission bomb to ignite an H bomb, and the fission bomb is ignited by plastic (C4?) explosive. The cut-away shape of the H bomb is sharp cone shape. I could re-draw the diagram, but that might get me a bullet shot through my window (into my forehead) next week from some secret service agent, so I'll refrain.

Oh dear, Maidu, you do exaggerate your importance. The post will get deleted before those CIA boys know you ever posted it!

[maidu]

Way back in the Flower Power daze (late 60's), when I resided in Wash D.C. - a local anti-establishment 'Free Press' rag came out with a diagram of how to build an H Bomb. It was amazing. I can picture it plain as day. It takes a fission bomb to ignite an H bomb, and the fission bomb is ignited by plastic (C4?) explosive. The cut-away shape of the H bomb is sharp cone shape. I could re-draw the diagram, but that might get me a bullet shot through my window (into my forehead) next week from some secret service agent, so I'll refrain.

Oh dear, Maidu, you do exaggerate your importance. The post will get deleted before those CIA boys know you ever posted it!

I should have put some variation of a smily face at the end of my post - then you'd get the gist of it.

Edited July 9, 2012 by maidu

[canuckamuck]

EiranCikguLow:

Yes, it results in nuclear fission. The Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima was composed of two pieces of Uranium totaling only 855 grams and one was shot toward the other using black gunpowder. When they combined and reached critical mass, the size of the resultant explosion was beyond the understanding of ordinary people at the time except, of course, people who had worked on the Manhattan Project. My point is that scientific discoveries that may seem obscure can have unimagined consequences.

Way back in the Flower Power daze (late 60's), when I resided in Wash D.C. - a local anti-establishment 'Free Press' rag came out with a diagram of how to build an H Bomb. It was amazing. I can picture it plain as day. It takes a fission bomb to ignite an H bomb, and the fission bomb is ignited by plastic (C4?) explosive. The cut-away shape of the H bomb is sharp cone shape. I could re-draw the diagram, but that might get me a bullet shot through my window (into my forehead) next week from some secret service agent, so I'll refrain.

In elementary school we learned how to make f-bombs. But it took years to perfect it.